The Charlotte Fire Department said in a news conference that they later recovered a second person in the rubble, but that person had died. Photo / Supplied At least 680 people were in Ballantynes at the time of the fire - 430 staff and 250 customers. Sir,—As a sister of one of the 41 victims who perished in Ballantyne’s fire on November 18, 1947 I am very distressed to see a sizable advertisement in "The Press" today for a book on the disaster by C. C. Walker. Sixty-eight years ago on November 18, 1947 Christchurch's Ballantynes department store was razed by fire. The fire broke out before 12:30 p.m. at a home on Jordan Rae Lane near Ballantyne Commons Parkway. Tardiness is the enemy of some, but it once saved Miss New Zealand from a horrific death. The Ballantynes fire on November 18, 1947 remains New Zealand's deadliest fire tragedy. ; "Ballantyne’s fire book," The Press, 7 January, 1984, p.12. The bodies of those who were killed couldn't be identified. The fire at the Ballantynes Department store in Christchurch on 18 November 1947 was the worst fire in New Zealand’s history. One more person, Violet Cody, died later in hospital with her unborn child. Coffins stretch into the distance at the funeral for victims of the Ballantyne’s department store fire, at Ruru lawn cemetery, Christchurch. ... Fire officials said no one was home at the time, but several of the homeowner’s pets died. At least 680 people were in Ballantynes at the time of the fire - 430 staff and 250 customers. The fire which raged through Ballantyne's department store in Christchurch was the worst fire in New Zealand history. No other injuries were reported, the Charlotte Fire Department said. The 41 people that perished in the blaze denoted the highest rate of death as a direct result of a fire in our history. Marion Hooykaas was a 17-year-old apprentice tailoress who worked on the top floor. Forty-one people, including many young women employees, died in the 1947 fire. Forty-one people died and the resulting Royal Commission recommended urgent changes to the building regulations and fire prevention and firefighting throughout the country. Several pets were killed during a house fire in Ballantyne Monday. A huge three-storey drapery department store Ballantyne's was often busy and on this day there were over 300 customers and dozens of shoppers inside the building. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - A two-alarm fire broke out at a two-story Ballantyne home Monday, killing several pets. She said each year a wreath is laid at the Ballantyne's fire memorial in the Ruru Lawn Cemetery in Bromley. Several pets killed in massive Ballantyne house fire that caused $270,000 in damage . BALLANTYNE'S FIRE TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 1947 CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND.  The Ballantyne's fire of 1947 held high significance within New Zealand during this time period and today. Ballantyne’s fire book. 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